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wrote:
Looking to buy a used boat. Prices seem to be all over the place. Is
there a value guide like cars? Also, what does a boat survey provide
and what is the cost?

All advice and comments are appreciated.

Expect to pay $10-15 a foot for a survey, (with a higher minimum on a
very small boat), plus haulout charges.

No, there isn't a used boat guidebook that's really worth a darn. Most
boats aren't resold in enough volume to establish any meaningful
trends, and prices can vary a *lot* by region.
For instance, a used pontoon boat might be a hot deal down in the SE,
but in the Pacific NW it would go begging. We can sell as many slow
trawlers as we can get up here- but in places where it's a long way
from the dock to any sort of decent fishing or boating people want 20
knot boats or faster.

Among used boat guidebooks that are out the The N.A.D.A. book (yes,
that does stand for National Automobile Dealer's Association and yes,
it purports to be a used boat guidebook) is a "buyers" book. Look up a
really nice boat in the N.A.D.A. (do you speak Spanish?) and even if
you add up every option in sight you might not come anywhere close to
the market prices for some boats in certain regions. Buyer's love the
Nada book. "Look Mac, high book on this boat you paid $100k for last
year and for which you're asking $80k now is only $60,000...and I'll be
double darned if I'd ever pay high book for anything....."

The B.U.C. book is a "seller's" book. By the time you take their high
starting figures, add for the regional bonuses, rate everyting at
bristol or near bristol (of course) you can justify
the most absurd prices imaginable for a used boat.

How large a boat are you looking at? One good tool if it's a large
enough boat that it is likely to be represented by a yacht broker is to
ask a broker to run you a "sold boat report"
on BoatWizard. (don't worry, he or she will know *exactly* what you
mean). I'd be wary of any broker unwilling to share selling prices of
the last 8-10 similar vessels sold in your region, and it *is*
available through a service virtually every broker in the country has
available.

Final big variable is condition. Once you've been able to get some
general idea of a range of "average" sales prices, don't expect to buy
the most exceptional cream puff on the market for that "average"
figure. Undoubtedly there were some real dogs in the mix that
created that "average". By the time you continue shopping, (once your
"average" offer is turned down for the bristol boat), and finally
realize that due to the condition the vessel really was a *deal*, some
guy who is just a week or so ahead of you in the same process will
often have swooped up the really clean boat before you get back around
to it.

What's a used boat worth?

1. No more and no less than you can sell it for.
2. To whom?